


Harsh lives but happy children

by NotSoCoolKid



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Abuse too, Alternate Universe - Underfell, Mentioms of death and blood, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Vague beginning, chara is good
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-12
Updated: 2017-10-16
Packaged: 2018-10-31 02:54:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10890201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotSoCoolKid/pseuds/NotSoCoolKid
Summary: Chara Dreemurr was a sort of regular six year old.With their parents both actively abusive, they ran away. They ended up falling into a sinkhole in a mountain near their home.They had a happy life that started again.But now.. Chara Dreemurr is dead.Update (3/13/18); Being rewritten with redone storyline that's properly thought through!Update (2/15/18): First chapter rewritten.





	1. How their story starts.

**Author's Note:**

> This hurt me...  
> My arm is falling asleep.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chara has a bad time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rewritten!

Chara Dreemurr was five when they fell into the Underground. Their life hadn’t been happy at all, and they heard their classmates talking about how Mt. Ebott was haunted, or cursed, or both! They asked some adults, but got no real answers. Their parents were off the table, since both were off on a business trip. One might ask, was Chara being watched over? No. They weren’t. They had no one at home, no nanny, or baby sitter, or older sibling. Just a quiet, empty house that they’d gotten used to in their whole five years of life.  
  
They eventually found some books in the nearby library, and got to read them. Apparently, the story was that monsters, real life monsters, were trapped under Mt. Ebott, and anyone who went up there would be enticed to a rumored sinkhole, and never come back. Apparently there were old, old paths running up around the sinkhole, practically right beside them! As well as a cave opening, but that had been caved in for years and years. There were public paths, of course. They knew that. For some school trips, they went up there, though never as far as Chara wanted to see. The base of the mountain was boring, after all.  
  
The librarian had been quietly watching over them. A five year old alone in the library was interesting, and they didn’t want to have a kidnapping placed in their hands. That wouldn’t be good for business, not to mention they didn’t have money to get a good lawyer to try and defend themselves from the claims of kidnapping or something.

 

When Chara got up, and put the book back, and made their way to the door, they stopped when the librarian quietly tapped the opposite side of the desk, and the kid walked over curiously. They had to stand on their toes to see clearly over the top of the long desk, peering up at the librarian.

 

“Don’t get any ideas on going up to Ebott, kid.. Its dangerous alone.” They warned quietly, before offering a lollipop. Chara lit up, and took the candy happily, bouncing in place on their toes.

 

“I wont! And thank you!” They chirped, before turning tail and running off, nearly running face first into the heavy doors to the library, scrambling to push them open with an ‘I’m okay!’, before they disappeared outside.

 

They ran all the way back home, slamming the door open too fast, hearing the doorknob slam into the wall loudly with a crack. They winced, slowing down and pulling the door back to look at the damage to the poor wall. It was cracked and indented where the doorknob had hit. They shrugged it off, pushing the door closed and running upstairs. They didn’t even remove their shoes like they were taught to. Their father was a stickler for removing ones shoes before leaving the foyer, to prevent tracking dirt through the whole house and its mostly clean carpets. At least, the carpets were clean when they were home. Chara tried, but didn’t get it as clean as their parents did.

 

They grabbed their book-bag from the floor where they’d ditched it when stopping home after school, before going to the library. They unzipped every pocket and turned it over, dumping all their school supplies out on the floor. They shook it a few times to make sure it was empty, before grabbing it by the top hook strap, and taking it to their dresser. They pulled out the drawers as they got clothes together, stuffing it all into their bag. They left the last drawer open, and went to their closet, pushing the door open and rifling through their few jackets, tugging a few off the hangers, making each plastic hanger swing around, or fall off the bar entirely. They pulled one jacket on, and stuffed the other two into their bag. They zipped up the main pockets zipper, before going through everything they had and finding what they wanted to bring with them. It wasn’t much, just a few toys really. They ran back downstairs, sliding some on their way to the kitchen.

 

They didn’t care what they brought, just that they liked it and could eat it when they had to. Which wasn’t a whole lot, so most of the stuff they grabbed were snacks and the like. But they did take the time to drop their bookbag on the floor and make a couple PB&J sandwiches. They tucked each of them into individual plastic ziploc baggies, before putting those with the rest of their snacks. They searched through the fridge, finding one plastic water bottle. They shrugged, putting it in their bag too and closing everything up, before shrugging it on eagerly.  
  
They were gonna do this! They were going right to Ebott! It’ll scare their parents when they come back to an empty house, so then they’ll care about Chara! It’ll teach them to not be gone all the time.

 

Chara left their house, pulling the door shut behind them and running off in the direction of the looming mountain by the city. Ebott Town was their home, just large enough that Chara didn’t know all the kids in the town, but small enough that they knew word spread quickly! After all, when a little girl across town went missing, the town was alive with panic. She was found three days later, though, relatively unharmed but frightened. The couple that had taken her were both not charged under the account of mental illness, as the mother couldn’t conceive. Chara felt bad for the couple. They just wanted kids.

 

They shook that thought off, and focused on getting to Mt. Ebott as quick as they could. They had to get there before night! They didn’t want to get lost. The edges of town didn’t have street lamps.

 

After a moment, they stopped and turned around, running back home. They forgot a flashlight! They pushed their door open, and rushed inside quickly. They searched the kitchen, before going to the basement and finally finding a flashlight. It proved empty of batteries, so they found some and grabbed as many as they could, tossing them into their bag eagerly, before setting off again, the flashlight tucked securely into a pocket on the side of their bag.

  
They continued eagerly down the street, at a quicker pace than before to make up for the time lost on finding a flashlight. They moved fast, eventually breaking out into a run, gaze pointed down to watch their feet as they ran. They eventually looked up again to keep an eye on where they were going, heading down the sidewalk quickly. No one else was out and about just yet, so they didn’t need to worry about running face first into someone else.

 

By nightfall they reached the base of Mt Ebott, and continued up well into the night, using their flashlight to keep going. They found a sturdy stick, and used it to push bushes aside as they followed the slightly less walked along paths, eventually finding the ones that led further up the mountain side. They jogged along them, the beam of light projected by their flashlight bobbing as they went, moving back and forth to scan the pathway and the surrounding bushes and trees for anything.

 

They continued on their hike, slowing down after a while, becoming tired. They didn’t stop to rest, though. They kept going, hurrying along as fast as they could, not wanting to get caught, despite doubting anyone would be looking for them yet. They yawned every so often, covering their mouth as they did.

 

After a long, long while, they got to a mostly flat area. They looked around, deciding it might be okay to rest for a while. They shrugged their book-bag off and set it down. They sat down cross-legged on the ground, pulling out one of the sandwiches they made, opening the ziploc bag and pulling the sandwich out, digging in. Once finished, they stretched out, and zipped the bag closed partly, pushing the air out of it, before closing it fully and balling it up, shoving it deep into their bag, recalling what their mother once said about leaving trash around in the woods, and that it wasn’t good for animals to eat at.

 

They wiped their mouth off using the sleeve of their jacket, before pulling it off and tossing it over their bag, grabbing their flashlight and wandering off. They wanted to look around some, find out where they were too. They clicked the flashlight on, and walked around. After a few minutes, they came across a gaping cave mouth, so big their flashlight didn’t make it to the ceiling nor to the very back of it! They wandered in further, stepping over huge vines lining the floor and hanging from somewhere along the ceiling. They moved their light around, and that was what did them in.

 

As they were looking to their right, their foot caught on a vine and they tripped, dropping their flashlight. Their arms went forwards to catch themselves, but never met ground. They let out a shriek as they fell suddenly, legs going over their head as they spun briefly, before landing hard on their belly on a bed of flowers.

 

Everything was black for a really long time, and when they woke up, everything hurt. They called out for help, looking around as best they could without moving too much. There were pillars, large ones. Broken, though. There were more vines hanging from above them. They strained their neck to peer upwards, staring up at the hole in the ceiling. Had they fallen that far? They breathed out softly, realizing they couldn’t get back up. The sunlight filtered peacefully down, illuminating the dust in the air and casting pretty shadows and light down the hole. It must be morning already.

 

They called out for help, hoping maybe someone had been looking for them and been nearby. They didnt hear anything, though. They whined, a quiet sob working its way out of them. They slumped back against the flowers, their everything aching too much to try and move.

 

But, after a few minutes of them quietly crying against the large flowers, they heard something. Sort of like pebbles scattering across the rock floor. And then..

 

“H..Hello? Did someone call for help?” ..A quiet voice called out, fear clear in the strangers tone. Chara inhaled, lifting their head quickly.

 

“Yes! Please help me!” They yelped, looking around for whoever it was. Their attention settled on an off-white, sort of grey-ish figure donned in a red and black single striped sweater. They focused more, then screeched a bit at the sight.

 

A- goat!?

 

“Wh-What!?” They yelped, practically flinging themselves backwards, kicking away, yet somehow not damaging the flowers at al. Weird.

 

The goat.. Thing gasped, covering their mouth and rushing over, “Oh- Please dont do that!” They cried, trying to keep Chara from hurting themselves, “You could get hurt!!”

 

Chara started to cry again, wanting help from anything else other than this goat monster thing!

 

“You’re gonna eat me!! I dont want to be eaten!!” They wailed, kicking the goat child in the legs a few times, struggling to escape, their everything really hurting now.

 

Their name is Charlie Dreemur, and man do they not like this goat kid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahaha this is being redone entirely ya'll. All of it. I'm adding more chapters, hence why I made this one so much more detailed and a bit longer I think? Objectively wise it sure is, but I dunno.
> 
> I had. So much trouble doing this ahahahah. I started this. At roughlyyyyy eight? Maybe nine. Probably eight thirty or a bit later. I got distracted repeatedly, and finally, finally finished it at twelve at night. The SHIT I do for you guys.
> 
> Don't worry tho I had fun.
> 
> (also give me attentions I fuckin want itttt)
> 
> (Also also, I have all the original chapters, so don't woryyyyy. Also theres like. Currently seven planned chapters so far, counting this one. I'll write them between writing shit for Life Comes Crashing Down, so it'll be spaced out. I might make myself a schedule. Idk.)  
> (also also I decided to keep their last name dreemurr as foreshadowing despite just about everyone knowing they end with the dreemurrs. I also didn't wanna bother with last names but so its known my headcanon for their last name before dreemur was Abott)


	2. Boring, Boring Days.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chara deals with adults who see the issues as something less urgent than other things. They don't like it..

Sighing quietly, Chara stretched their legs down to reach the floor, rocking their desk chair back and forth. They were dwarfed in the chair, which was comfortable and smelled about as plain as it looked, being just a flat black color. The heavy mahogany table in front of them was polished and shiny, due to the bright lights overhead. On one wall there was a large whiteboard, which had doodles at the bottom in various colors from dry erase markers. All of the doodles were from Chara. A manila folder laid open in front of them, with similar contents to the others in front of the adults at the table. They looked up when they heard someone say their name quietly, craning their head back to look up. It was Sans. They knew it already. They knew his voice by heart by now. The deep baritone was a comfort to them, and set them back in line even if he wasn't scolding them or anything.

"Pay attention, kiddo." he scolded gently, and leaned a bit around the stupidly large chair, hooking both hands under their arms, and lifting them up more to sit properly on the chair. They pouted, puffing their cheeks up, before nodding and looking back ahead. This was all boring. A fourth of the adults there protested to take action against 'Humanities Faith'. The rest, including Chara, insisted they must.

Recently, a string of events began. Monster dust began popping up. Because monster dust tended to be so heavy, and clung so thickly together, breezes didn't disturb it at all. Testing was being done on the dust remaining, to see who had been killed. Despite monsters nature of being rough, over the two years, most of them had let their guard down. The attacks progressively got worse, and more dust piled up in the city. Each time, it was quickly gathered and brought for testing to figure out if they could pinpoint who it was, so the families could have their remains back.

In the last few days, though. Multiples peaceful rallies had come together, wandering through the city together in large throngs, asking for action against the murders. But, over time, more humans turned up dead. Traitor carved into their skin, or written in their blood nearby. It scared everyone, and the peaceful rallies came to a screeching halt, in an attempt to protect those who had been attending, from being the next target. It was awful.. The news was almost always occupied with another body, or the status of the cases..

Chara fidgeted, sifting through the small pile of papers. They swung their feet, leaning forwards some. They huffed a sigh, before patting their hand on the table some, gaining attention rather fast. They couldn't talk loud enough to talk over everyone in the spacious room, so it became a rule. When Chara tapped the table, everyone was to shut up and pay attention. They got nervous having to repeat themselves, so it was important for everyone to pay attention, so they didn't get freaked out.

Once everyone was silenced, Chara rested their hands on the edge of the table, rubbing their palm against the smooth surface idly, red eyes watching the others in the room, "..I think we should do something." They spoke up, watching everyone look at each other, then back to Chara.

"Give us a reason." Someone said, a light fleeting voice. It would sound nice, if the disgust that hid in their voice wasn't stupidly obvious. Chara blinked, tilting their head curiously. They thought of a reason, swinging their feet more. Their gaze trailed down to the papers in front of them as they rubbed their hands more.

"Because.. Well.. Monsters are citizens, so murdering them is a crime just like killing a human. Besides, this group.." They hummed, one hand pulling away. They used their thumb to press each of their fingers down hard to crack their first knuckles, "Don't they count as terrorists?" They asked, voice quiet.

Almost immediately, the room was filled with conversation again. Once more, many of them opposed the idea, but quickly an agreement was reached for them to act on the murders and treat them all seriously. The meeting was quickly broken up, and Chara twisted around to look at Sans properly, holding their arms up for him. A few of those who had things to gather, glanced over a few times.

Sans sighed, like it was a huge burden to just pick them up, but did so anyways. He lifted them up, cushioning them against his chest as he pushed the chair in. He held them with one arm, tucked under their bottom to support them against him. He slid all the papers into place, before closing the folder and sliding it off the table to pick it up. He straightened up after, handing them the file. They held it with both hands, keeping the contents from slipping out.

Making his way to the door, Sans shifted them in his arms, moving them around to cradle them to his chest, free hand resting against their back gently. He rubbed their back idly with his thumb, sighing quietly. He wished they didn't agree to be an ambassador. He knew they'd be reclusive. The time they'd spent talking before the Barrier had been broken, he'd learned that they didn't like talking to people. He wished they had let Frisk handle it alone. The twelve year old was more able to handle it alone, they had a good support system. But, Chara insisted. And refused to back down. Even when it wore them down fast, and their chances of making a few friends at school diminished due to jealousy. They were allowed to leave school early for meetings, and a lot of kids followed their parents views and disliked them just because.

He shuffled through the open door, propped up with a paperweight. Who knows how it got there, but he didn't pay attention to the figurine. He walked down the long halls, breathing out lightly. Plain walls of a beige color, and an occasional picture of workers, or a corkboard with notices that were everywhere. The low carpet was a deep, royal blue, and was a bit calming. He wandered down through the main room to the front doors, two desks lining the opening to the hall, and a third to the right behind the first one. A couple workers were idly talking to each other, paying no mind to the two leaving. He headed straight for the door, pressing his hand against the bar in front, before pushing the glass door open. A small lobby led to another, similar set of doors. He pushed those open, sighing a bit as he left.

He looked around briefly for Papyrus, as his younger brother said he'd pick them up after the meeting. Humming a bit, he wandered down the narrow, cracked sidewalk. A moment passed, and he was tempted to just take a shortcut home, and text his brother after. But soon after a dark car pulled up, stalling in front of them. He chuckled, shaking his head a bit. He pulled the handle, opening the door. He slumped into the car, ducking his head some to fit in properly. He made sure not to jostle Chara that much.

They sat up, twisting around, popping open the glove compartment, delicately sliding the file into it, before closing it. Sans pulled the door shut, before moving Chara around to buckle himself in. He wrapped both his arms around them, holding them close so they wouldn't fall forwards. Papyrus rolled his pale eye lights, before pulling away from the curb, before starting off to go home.

"That is very unsafe, brother." He pointed out, voice gruff and a bit snippy. He usually made sure Sans kept Chara safe, but sometimes his attempts didn't get through Sans' thick skull. It bothered him to no end how unsafe Sans could be. But in a way, he knew his brother would put Chara's life before his own, so he supposed he could let Sans slide with a few things. But obvious safety hazards in the front seat of a car? That was twice as reckless!

"i'm holding them. Don't slam on the breaks and we'll be fine." Sans shrugged, grinning lazily. Chara had long since twisted around from sitting forwards, to tuck themself against his chest, on their side a bit. They wedged their head under his chin, a bit forcefully, and settled down with a content sigh. They were probably tired. Too much time spent sitting in a cushy chair, having to listen to adults arguing over something so obvious.

Sans admired their ability to focus on the objective when plenty of others didn't. It was a good trait for them, and he hoped it remained for the rest of their life. He rubbed his hand along their back, fingers pressing into their spine, feeling the dips between the vertebra. It caused them to shiver a bit, and uncurl briefly, trying to shy away from his touch, before they gave up and curled back up. He chuckled lowly, patting their upper back, before leaving them alone to rest.

Papyrus had been watching out of the corner of his eye socket, a faint smile on his face. He returned his attention to the road, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel. It was twenty minutes until they reached home. No doubt Sans would end up on the couch to nap for a bit with Chara. Usually the meetings they had to attend took a lot out of Chara, and Sans was always for naps, despite not being drained of energy during the meetings.

He was finally content. He knew his brother would be safe, and Chara wouldn't stray from them. Despite only knowing of their existence for two short years, he was glad Sans had met them in the first place. Of course, when he first saw the kid, wrapped up in Sans' arms with blood staining the front of their sweater, and their bottom lip, he was freaked out. After a long, long while of explaining everything, through a mix of raspy words and sign language, Chara explained what had happened to them. 

He could barely imagine life without Chara. They usually woke up shortly after him, and seemed interested in helping him cook. Whether it be breakfast, or dinner, they were asking to help him. They were a great helper, of course. Not to mention, they usually woke Sans up in time for dinner. Usually by launching themself onto his bed, yelling at him to wake up, loud enough for Papyrus to hear it in the kitchen.

 

Twenty minutes passed fast, and he was pulling into the driveway, turning the key in the ignition, before removing it. He unbuckled, before opening the door. He closed it, before swiftly striding around the front of the sleek car, opening the passenger door. A sleepy Chara was passed to him, and he gathered them up securely in his arms. After the first few times of Sans almost dropping Chara, they'd both agreed to pass them off once Papyrus was out. Sans unbuckled and heaved himself out of the car, closing the door behind him. He quickly caught up to Papyrus, who'd already started off for the front door.

Due to monsters currency being /gold/, they usually could land good houses. They'd chosen for a nice house, close to the others, in a residential area of the city. It was relatively quiet, and all of them enjoyed the relative silence. Chara adored it. They had a large backyard, and a pool. Granted, neither of the skeletons could swim, as they were like rocks being dropped in the water, and sunk immediately, Chara adored it to no end.

Papyrus unlocked the door, before letting Sans in first, following quickly. The door led to the foyer. To the right, was the stairs to the upstairs of the house, and through an entryway was the living room. Down the hall was the kitchen, and along the hall were two doors, one to the pantry and the other to the basement, which was completed. Before reaching the kitchen, another door led to the dining room. 

Handing Chara back to Sans, Papyrus slid his shoes off, moving them over to beside the front door, in their place. Sans followed, but didn't move his shoes properly, just kicked them over. He dropped Chara's shoes after. Papyrus fixed it, with a scowl, before heading to the kitchen.

Sans immediately went to the living room, laying down on the couch and resting Chara on his chest. By then, the kid had passed out completely. He stroked their head, careful not to get their hair tangled in his hand. He eventually eased into a sleep as well, hand stilling, resting on their back warmly. He fell asleep listening to Papyrus make a late lunch for them, sure to wake both of them, or at least Chara, once he was sure they'd slept enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What?? i'm actually- uPDATING??? what is this witchcraft??  
> also please please comment I feed off of positive reinforcement... 
> 
> (also fun fact: the room is actually a meeting room that I spent most of my time in when I went with my dad to work, before he retired from the air force. we went for easter and a bunch of other kids were there and we watched a movie in the meeting room, and had pizza (I think?), and we all drew on the huge ass whiteboard. he ended up retiring before we could go next year and I was unhappy..))  
> (fun fact number two: I ended up not writing a good chunk of it because I got distracted by something and forgot to write)


	3. Realizations of Another Type

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans deals with stuff and dislikes it, and dislikes his choice to put Chara in public school.

Sans sighed as he stretched out his limbs, careful not to move too much at risk of upsetting his charge. He opened his eye sockets, eye lights blinking into view after a brief second, red lights trailing down to the child laying on his chest, holding onto his shirt. It’d been about an hour and a half since they’d gotten home and taken a nap, so both of them were stiff from being in the same position they’d fallen asleep in. He sighed quietly, rubbing their back to try and wake them up more.

 

Papyrus walked over again, from the kitchen where he’d been preparing their lunch up more. He scooped Chara up as best he could. They whined, grasping at Sans’ shirt more to try and keep close to him. But their grip failed, and they transferred their hold to Papyrus’ shirt instead. He swept off to the kitchen, gently sitting them down in their regular chair, pushing them in. He retrieved their plate, and set it in front of them.

 

He’d quickly learned that they adored grilled cheese. He had no idea why, as they never gave any reason to why the enjoyed it so much. But he accepted that it was one of their favorite foods. Alongside ice cream, and candy. The grilled cheese he’d placed before them was already cut in half, as they preferred to have their food in certain shapes, so sloppy triangles would work. He placed a cup of milk before them, and a napkin, not like they’d actively use it.

 

Sans slumped into the room, collapsing into his chair beside Chara. He shrugged his jacket on more, tugging it into place fully. Papyrus slid him a plate with another grilled cheese on it. This one wasn’t cut. If Sans wanted it to be cut, he could do it himself. Not like he would. Oh well, that wasn’t Papyrus’ issue.

 

Papyrus busied himself with cleaning up the dishes, washing each one carefully and putting them in the strainer to dry. Chara was quick to dig into their food, swinging their feet in delight. At one point, though, Sans intercepted their eating to wipe their face with their napkin. The kid usually ignored the milk mustache, so both brothers usually ended up having to wipe their face. Chara didn’t mind half the time, and neither did Sans or Papyrus. Well, maybe Papyrus a bit, but only because he was shocked at how messy of an eater Chara could be.

 

He folded the napkin, and tucked it under their plate a bit so it wouldn’t unfold itself. They went straight back to eating, humming quietly around their mouthful as they chewed. Sans leaned a bit in his seat, tugging his phone out of his back pocket. The screen protector was badly cracked. The amount of times Sans had dropped his phone was bad enough that he’d decided to deal with the spiderweb of cracks across the protector, than risk cracking the screen itself by removing it.

 

He reclined back in his chair, tilting himself back a bit on the legs. It was unsafe, and if Papyrus saw, he'd be scolded for it. It wasn't uncommon for him to tilt too far and fall backwards. Chara laughed most of the time, when it happened. Though the first handful of times his grip on the table faltered and he fell back, he'd scared the hell out of them. Of course, that didn't change the fact that he still did it.

 

Despite only an hour having passed since they returned home from the meeting, he was sure someone leaked the information agreed upon to take action about the murders, and actively look for the killers.He turned it on and unlocked it, swiping through a few things, before settling on various social media accounts he’d gathered through the two years Chara had been an ambassador. Most responses to the agreement were tame. People complaining, about it, saying that monsters were abominations and similar to that. He sighed, shifting a bit as he ate slowly. He scowled faintly at the comments, narrowing his eyes some. A few caught his eyes. Threats.

 

He frowned, and got up, walking over to Papyrus, shoving his arm a bit roughly to get his attention. Papyrus squawked at the shove, looking at Sans quickly with a glare, going to yell at him, when the phone was shoved in his face quickly. He leaned his head back some, looking a bit startled.

 

It was no real secret that Papyrus had poor eyesight. He refused glasses, as his stupidly large ego refused to allow him to show weakness past his adoration of Chara. Not to mention, without ears, the arms of the glasses would have nothing to rest on. They’d need to be taped to his skull, and he didn’t want that. Back when they were kids, Sans worked at the Lab. He’d seen his brother running around with round framed, red glasses taped to his nasal aperture. He’d found it silly, and demeaning. Though, those glasses fit younger Sans. Not so much now, though.

 

He squinted at the screen, scoffing a bit, “Your phone is atrocious.” He huffed, trying to read the text behind the cracks spreading on the screen. It took a moment, but soon enough he made out the threats. Threats of bodily harm to Chara and Frisk. His magic flared up in his hidden anger, and he narrowed his sockets, pale red eye lights darting to Sans.

 

Chara twisted around in their chair,deserting their lunch to look at the brothers. They were curious as to what happened that made Sans stop eating, and made Papyrus look so mad.

 

“Papy? Sans?” They questioned, sitting up on their knees some. Sans looked at them, before handing Papyrus his phone so he could look through things more, see what threats were made. He walked around behind Chara, and slumped back into his seat heavily.

 

Chara had turned to face him, whipping around to keep their eyes on him as long as possible without turning fully in their seat. They watched him curiously, a faint hint of worry clear in their red eyes.

 

He sighed quietly, relaxing back in his chair some. “some strangers ‘re threatening you and Frisk..” He replied, vaguely. He wouldn't burden them with what the threats said. They were just a kid. And people who threatened them and Frisk were stupid to. Just kids, they both were.

 

Chara nodded slowly, and shifted, abandoning their food in favor of climbing out of their chair and moving to Sans, holding their arms up to be lifted. He sighed, smiling faintly as he leaned a bit and picked them up gently.

 

“So I gotta stay home?” They asked, voice quiet as he situated them around some. He nodded, leaning back a bit. When things like this happened, both kids were kept home for a few days. Sans and Papyrus took turns getting Charas schoolwork, and taking shifts at their jobs. At all times, Chara was with one of them. 

 

He settled them in his lap, before grabbing their napkin and wiping their hands off, making sure to get each finger properly.

 

Usually, when they stopped eating, they didn't continue. So Papyrus picked the plates up and disposed of what was left. He set the plates and cup down by the sink, before picking up Sans’ phone from the counter, and handed it back. Chara made a move to swipe it before Sans could take it, but failed. He locked it, and stuffed it into his front pocket.

 

As Papyrus set to work cleaning up, Sans hoisted Chara up more and got up. He pushed his chair in, and then Charas. He walked out to the living room, sitting down heavily in his regular spot on the couch. He set Chara down beside him, before using his magic to locate and bring the remote to him. He pressed the power button and turned the TV on. It was already on for local news, and he quickly held his arm out of reach of Chara, before changing the channel. Almost instantly, they were trying to swipe the remote from him, to no avail.

 

He flicked through channels to find cartoons to put on. Finally he settled on one, and closed his eyes, tilting his head back. He set the remote aside, listening to the brightly colors animals (horses?) prance around on screen talking about friendship and magic or whatever. Usual kid show thing.

 

A bit later, he felt Chara crawl onto his lap. They must have gotten bored with the show. The kid didn't really enjoy cutsey shows like whatever was just on. He hear clips from various channels, and opened his eyes. Chara was perched in his lap, going through the channels quickly. Must be looking for a crime show. The kid adored them. Said it was cool to see the actors like that.

 

Finally, they found a rerun of an episode he'd already seen in the past, and settled on it. They relaxed back into his chest, and watched, setting the remote aside. He was content enough to just rest his eyes, breathing evening out. Half of him wanted to know out right then and there to fall asleep, but he didn't.

 

A few minutes later, Papyrus came out of the kitchen and walked over. He sat with them for a bit, and Sans felt Chara move off him to climb onto Papyrus. He cracked an eye socket open to watch as Chara shuffled about on his brother's legs, before settling down tucked into his chest.

 

Stars he loves his kid.. They were a bundle of joy, and he loved that they were passionate about what they did. Everything they did in daily life, they were immensely invested in. He admired that about them. They all relaxed down and watched Criminal Minds.

 

He'd have to stop by their school the next day to pick up their work. He sunk more into the cushions of the couch, closing his eye sockets again with a strained sigh. He hated doing that. The teachers all looked judgmental of him, like he couldn't raise a kid. Sure he was.. Intimidating, but still. He also hated when he had to go to pta meetings. Papyrus usually attended them, but when he couldn't due to work, Sans had to. The other parents always sneered and their brats usually stared at him and Chara too long.

 

It unnerved him. Sure he was a hulking six foot skeleton with a tiny child, or that his brother was seven foot three and Chara placed with him made him look bigger, if wasn't right for stupid parents and their brats to stare at them. All monsters were stupidly tall. Toriel was six three, Asgore was reaching eight foot two. Undyne was seven foot six.

 

Still though, he didn't like their school. Too biased. But Toriel was deemed unfit to be a teacher. So, most of the time he dealt with parents who didn't have a choice about who is around. He sighed quietly as he lounged a bit, head resting back idly.

  
  
  


The next morning, Chara didn't wake him up. They must have stayed with Papyrus for a bit. He heaved himself out of his bed with a strained groan, sighing heavily as he eased himself out of bed. He tugged his shirt off, and tossed it in the vague direction of his laundry hamper. He scratched his sternum, wincing briefly at the sound of bone sliding against bone. He wandered to his dresser, and found another somewhat clean shirt. He yanked it on, yawning quietly as he straightened it. He found a pair of sweatpants, before pulling them on and lazily tying the drawstring.

 

He shuffled his way to his door, before opening it. He left the door open, and he shuffled his way down the hallway. He yawned again, teeth clanking together when he closed his mouth again. He staggered down the carpeted stairs, glancing at the couch. Chara was bundled up in a large blanket, tucked into the arm of the couch, a pillow hugged to their chest.

 

He offered a brief motion of a wave, and walked to them, ruffling their hair gently. They were half awake, and seemed to want to sleep more. He smiled crookedly when they whined faintly and leaned into the arm of the couch. He poked his head into the kitchen, finding his brother making a quick breakfast of eggs.

 

“ ‘ey, bro. I'm gonna go pick the kids school stuff up.” He warned, getting a him of acknowledgment in return. He ducked his head in a nod as he walked to the front door. He slid his shoes on, his heels bending the backs of the shoes down. Oh well. He grabbed his keys, and patted his pockets down for his phone. Probably left it in somewhere in his bed. Oh well.

 

He turned the lock on the door and opened it. Shuffling out, he turned and relocked it behind him, the keys chiming as they bumped against each other. He shoved them into his pocket, before turning to the right and striding behind a post. In an instant, he was walking out from behind one in front of the school.

 

He stretched, rolling his shoulder a bit as he walked up the stairs. He'd have to alert the woman at the front desk of him being there so she'd open the door to the office. He pressed the button, heading it chime inside. He watched her turn and check out to see him. She jolted, before opening the door. He walked in, tucking his hands into his pocket. Best excuse Chara from school for a few days.

 

“How can I help you, sir?” the woman's voice chirped from behind the desk, wavering a bit at his sheer height.

 

“My kid, Chara Fontaine, isn't gonna be in class for a few days.. I'm just here to pick up whatever work they'll have so they can keep up with the other kids.” a routine answer, not like he had to say it anymore. She knew what he needed.

 

Nodding, she motioned for him to go, “I'll make sure that their attendance won't affect their grades.” she replied, smiling kindly up at him. She was visibly nervous.. He just nodded idly, and turned to exit the office into the main building. He strode down the relatively quiet halls, most of the doors to classrooms closed, or left slightly ajar. He stopped at Chara’s first class, knocking a bit on the wood of the door. A moment passed, and it swung open some, before opening fully. The teacher looked curious, pale almost grey eyes looking up at him.

 

“How can I help you?” Her voice was wispy, matching how detached she seemed to look from the world. It wouldn’t surprise him if she died in her sleep suddenly because she let go. He shifted his stance, tucking a hand into his pocket. She never seemed afraid of him, just more judgemental than the others.

 

“Chara’s gonna be absent for a few days, so if ya have the work that you plan to do for the next few days ready, I can pick it up now..” He replied, voice gruff. This teacher always gave him issues. The wisp of a woman always seemed to plan the day that morning. Chara even said she didn’t have everything in order, to them. She always fumbled over things, and never prepared properly enough. He knew he’d have to get their work from her in a day or two, once it’d piled up.

 

“Oh, I don’t have it all here..” She sighed, turning a bit, “Though we are going to be doing a packet over this week, Chara could work on that..” She mumbled, before nodding and hustling off. She returned a minute later, shoving the packet of stapled papers into his hand. She slapped a stupidly bright sticky note on it after. The sticky note said one page per day. He raised a brow ridge, but brushed it off. He nodded, ducking his head down some as he shifted his stance slightly.

 

“Thanks..” He mumbled, before stepping back. Once he was clear of the door, she closed it quickly, and went back to keeping the kids in line. The time she’d been distracted, the snot carriers scattered from their seats to talk to their friends across the room. He chuckled, before heading down the hall again. Math was next, as it was closest.

  
  


It went like that the rest of the day. Sans gathered and collected paperwork for Chara to work on while they were out of school, some teachers being worse than others. He finally was able to head home, choosing the main doors of the school to open a rift to take a shortcut through. He secured the papers to his chest, yawning as he pushed the door open. A brief sensation of falling over came him, before he was at him, in front of the door. He fished for his keys in his pocket, before retrieving them and unlocking the door.

 

The lock turned over in its place, and he pushed the door open, pulling his keys out, and stuffing them into his pocket again. He’d been gone about an hour and a half. He glanced to the left where the couch was, finding Chara absent from their regular spot. He closed the door slowly, placing the small stack of papers on the table beside the door as he reached behind him and turned the lock again. He narrowed his eye sockets, checking the kitchen, then the laundry room, before heading for the stairs. He ducked his head into Papyrus’ room quickly, glancing around, before leaning back out and closing the door. He checked the linen closet, as Chara sometimes hid there to try and scare him. Nothing.

 

He checked their room next, finding it vacant of Papyrus or Chara. He frowned faintly, before checking in his room. Nothing. The covers were stirred up more, though he added that up to Chara having been in his bed earlier that day. Sometimes they snuck into his room to take a nap on his bed. Weird kid. He checked the bathroom, but quickly relaxed.

 

He chuckled faintly, leaning on the door knob. Papyrus was just brushing the knots out of Chara’s hair. The kid hated it when they had to brush their hair, so they always wrangled Papyrus into doing it for them. For someone who lived his entire life without having a single hair grow on him, Papyrus surprisingly knew how to be careful to not yank the knots out and hurt the kid.

 

“Sheesh, bro.. Way to give me a heart attack when I got home..” He joked, startling both of them. Papyrus looked over, shifting his stance a little bit. Chara perked up, and pulled away from Papyrus, half their hair brushed flat, the rest still tangled.

 

“Sans!” They cheered, holding their arms up to be held. He smiled crookedly, picking them up. They always acted like he’d been gone longer than he had been. He loved that. It made him feel wanted..

 

“Sorry to scare you, Sans. I didn’t expect you home right now. You should have called me to tell me so.” Papyrus scolded, before setting the hair brush down and walking over to take Chara from Sans. “I still need to finish brushing their hair.” He set them back down to stand on the stool, before grabbing the brush again and setting to work getting all the tangles out. He was careful, making completely sure not to accidentally hurt them.

 

Sans gave a thumbs up, before turning away to go back downstairs. Due to Papyrus’ sight issues, they’d both agreed that if one of them needed something, they’d have to call. It’d keep Papyrus from having to read the small text, or try to type. He shuffled his way down the stairs, before flopping onto the couch, lounging back idly as he yawned widely, resting his head back against the back of the couch. He crossed one leg over the other, drumming his fingers on his leg.

 

A few minutes later, Chara came bounding downstairs, Papyrus following them at a slower pace. He had only a brief moment to brace himself before Chara was promptly launching themself onto him. He huffed out a loud breath, chuckling some as he draped a hand around their back to support them. They laughed some, smiling brightly.

 

He rubbed their back with his thumb, pulling them close to his chest, patting their back some as he relaxed down into the cushions. He rested his head back a tiny bit as he lounged, stretching his legs out. He hummed, before poking them in their side, drawing a jolt and a small squeak. He poked again, and this time they looked up at him, pouting. They were awfully ticklish and despised it when someone took it against them.

 

“You got plenty of work for the next few days.” He looked up at Papyrus, who had come closer to sit with them. “And Paps will make sure you finish it on time.” He hummed, ruffling their hair gently. They whined, resting their chin against his sternum, giving him the puppy dog eyes, like it’d change the fact that they had to do their schoolwork.

 

“But Saaaaans.. I can’t control threats..” They whined out, patting his ribs a tiny bit like it’d help. He chuckled, grin widening some. He rested his head back a little more, shifting some, patting their lower back, bouncing them a bit, to disturb their whining and make them stop.

 

“Eh, oh well. You still gotta do it.” He chuckled, stretching his legs out more, before crossing them at the heel. He let go of them, and crossed his arms behind his head, watching as they grasped onto his shirt once they started sliding off his chest.

 

He chuckled lowly, glancing at Papyrus. He shifted, before promptly rolling over suddenly, half squashing them under his weight. He made sure not to hurt them, laughing a bit as they squawked in shock. He grinned, before getting up and scooping them up suddenly, passing them to Papyrus quickly. They grappled onto Papyrus’ scarf, unwrapping it a bit as they scrambled for traction to cling to him. They stared at Sans, a look of pure betrayal on their face, red eyes wide.

 

Sans laughed, shifting himself around to sit up properly, “Ya got that deer in headlights look down cold.” He chuckled, lounging back against the arm of the couch, purposely shoving his feet against Papyrus’ leg, forcing his brother to scoot down the couch more. He wiggled his toes, despite having socks on.

 

Papyrus made a disgusted face, and delicately picked Sans’ feet up one at a time, by his toes, and dropped them off the side of the couch, promptly moving Sans from his comfortable position. Chara snickered at the dull thunk that came with each of Sans’ heels hitting the carpeted floor. Sans grumbled, shifting about and heaving himself up to sit properly. He reached out, making faint grabby hands for Chara.

 

It took a moment, but Chara relented and climbed out of Papyrus’ lap and onto Sans’ across the couch. They tucked into his chest, fingers curling into his thick sweater, nails scratching against the fabric. He leaned back onto the arm of the couch, tucking one leg under the other, letting the other dangle limply over the edge of the couch, socked toes brushing along the carpet some. 

 

This was nice. He liked quiet days like these where the three of them could just relax together, and not worry about much else. Days like these made him forget that his kid was an ambassador for his entire race, and constantly had threats placed on them, or that he was always afraid when they went to school, that they’d be kidnapped on the way, or hurt. He knew it was a short walk, but sometimes Frisk left earlier than Chara got up, and didn’t walk them to school. After all, Frisk went to the local middle school, and Chara went to the elementary school. Frisk had to get up earlier and walking Chara to school took time, so usually they’d both wake up early enough to have the time for both of them to get to school.

 

It was still nerve wracking for him. The risk of him getting the call that something happened to his child, was a very present fear. It’d stay present for a long while.. He’d probably never come to leave that state until he was sure Chara would be okay alone. He didn’t like to think of how short a human’s lifespan is, compared to his own.. It made him feel horrible that he’d outlive his child by lifetimes. He didn’t know what he’d do when they did pass. Maybe he could adopt another child? No.. He shook his head faintly, huffing out a soft breath.

 

Papyrus looked over, raising a brow as he stared at the other, curious as to why the other moved so suddenly. Sans smiled crookedly, though he knew it looked strained. He would have to focus on the present. He looked down at the child in his arms, rubbing their back gently, smiling brokenly as they sighed, relaxing down. Sometime while he’d been distracted in his own thoughts, Papyrus had turned the TV on. Another rerun of Criminal Minds. He smiled, focusing on that, and the lump of a six year old on his chest.

Yeah.. Today would be fine. Same with the rest of the week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys.. I had to do this on my phone because on the laptop I use, it added a stupid amount of characters.

**Author's Note:**

> the first chapter is a practice chapter, or a skeleton(heh) for the main story. a base run down of what happened to lead to the actual beginning.
> 
> also comments mean the world to me, i'll be less inclined to keep writing this if theres just radio silence from readers. ...please comment I love attention


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